Tag: Mobile app

Indonesia – Shopping app sessions rose 4% globally during Ramadan 2024, but Indonesia saw an 11% surge, reflecting strong engagement and repeat usage, according to a report by Adjust.

Ramadan drives a surge in shopping as mobile-first consumers seek deals and Eid gifts. The report also highlights a surge in other app categories during Ramadan. In Indonesia and Pakistan, gaming and entertainment app engagement rose by 7% as many users unwind with digital entertainment after iftar, driving increased nighttime activity.

In Indonesia, fasting month routines further boosted mobile reliance, with utility app sessions up 10% for tasks like transportation, bill payments, and productivity. This shift underscores the role of mobile apps in ensuring a seamless and connected Ramadan experience.

To maximise impact during Ramadan, Adjust advises marketers to align their campaigns with these user behaviour trends.

The report finds that user activity peaks after Iftar (48%), post-Taraweeh prayers (38%), and early before fasting (24%). To maximise engagement, brands should time ads, promotions, and push notifications around these high-activity periods. Value-driven offers—such as limited-time discounts, bundle deals, and cashback rewards—can further drive conversions, appealing to price-conscious consumers actively seeking the best deals.

Beyond timing and offers, personalisation plays a key role in user engagement. Adjust highlights the importance of AI-powered recommendations and smart audience segmentation, leveraging browsing behaviour, location, and past purchases to boost conversions. Automated push notifications and in-app messages further enhance the user experience by delivering relevant content at the right moments.

With consumers frequently switching between apps, websites, and social media, a seamless omnichannel experience is essential. A unified strategy across platforms, paired with retargeting on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok, keeps brands top-of-mind and reinforces messaging across touchpoints.

In terms of content strategy, the report notes that videos, live streams, and interactive formats like quizzes and polls drive engagement, while culturally relevant Ramadan themes strengthen user connection. Content around meal prep, fashion, and gifting also serves as key engagement touchpoints, catering to seasonal interests and shopping behaviours.

Moreover, brands can deepen their connection with consumers by emphasising social good and community engagement. Adjust recommends fostering goodwill through charity partnerships, donation-matching programmes, and storytelling that highlights Ramadan traditions, reinforcing brand affinity during this meaningful season.

Finally, as the Eid shopping rush approaches, brands should be prepared with fast shipping, exclusive discounts, and fintech solutions that ensure seamless transactions, capturing last-minute demand and maximising sales.

April Tayson, regional vice president for INSEAU at Adjust, said, “Ramadan is a time of meaningful connection, and brands have an opportunity to contribute by delivering value through thoughtful engagement. With Adjust’s powerful measurement and analytics suite, marketers can optimise every step of the user journey, whether for Ramadan campaigns or year-round strategy.”

Australia – Bankwest has officially launched a new banking app and website, marking a significant step in its accelerated digital investment strategy. With an ambition to become Australia’s favourite digital bank, the latest upgrades aim to enhance customer experience and expand Bankwest’s presence nationwide.

This launch builds on Bankwest’s transition to a fully digital bank in Western Australia in 2024. The institution is now focused on growing its customer base in Australia’s eastern states, where it has operated as a digital-only bank since 2022. More than half of Bankwest’s customers reside in the eastern states, making this a key market for its expansion strategy.

The new app and website have been developed in close collaboration with customers to create an intuitive digital banking experience. Designed for ease of use, the app helps customers manage their finances effortlessly by offering features such as a refreshed home screen, a dedicated ‘money’ tab for transactions, enhanced search functionality, and a specialised ‘property’ tab for home loan information. Additionally, the app provides 24/7 in-app support to ensure continuous assistance for users.

A major highlight of the upgrade is the introduction of ‘Virtual Cards,’ a feature set to launch soon. This new functionality will allow customers to generate single-use or multi-use, time-limited debit or credit cards, adding an extra layer of security for online and in-store transactions.

In a bid to reinforce its national presence, Bankwest is also preparing to launch a new brand platform and a national marketing campaign in 2025. This campaign will introduce a refreshed identity and value proposition, positioning Bankwest as a leader in Australia’s digital banking sector.

Bankwest Managing Director Jason Chan said the app and website – built by Bankwest teams – were the foundations for a complete reinvention of the bank’s digital offering to customers and brokers across Australia.

“Innovation has been part of Bankwest’s DNA for 130 years, and, today, we have a clear role in the CBA Group as a growth-focused, highly competitive national digital bank, with a fresh and distinctive proposition,” he said.

He added, “Our aim is to create a digital banking experience that truly stands out in the Australian financial services landscape, and which is designed to meet the needs of a growing number of customers and brokers nationwide.”

Jason also noted that they have conducted hundreds of hours of testing with customers and non-customers across Australia and we know there’s a significant segment of the market looking for a simpler, less complicated relationship with their bank.

“These Australians are telling us they want just the right amount of bank in their lives, one that’s working hard behind the scenes to help them manage their money, while they focus their time on what’s important to them,” he said.

Jason concluded, “Our introduction of new technology to help customers tackle scams in 2024 marked the first of a new series of uncomplicated and genuinely useful experiences for customers and there’s much more to come this year.

Singapore – The mobile app market is seeing a resurgence in 2025 amidst an e-commerce boom, according to a report by measurement and analytics company Adjust.

Adjust’s report highlights a 26% year-on-year app install growth in 2024 across APAC, a rebound after a dip in 2022. The growth is particularly led by e-commerce, indicating a trend in finding and purchasing products efficiently.

As data privacy regulations remain a concern, the report sees an increase in the adoption of privacy-first technologies. Artificial intelligence real-time contextual insights are also making decision-making more efficient for users.

Meanwhile, Adjust’s report also emphasises an increased user trust in personalised ads as it sees a climb in app tracking transparency opt-in rates. The highest opt-in rate is observed in gaming at 39%, while e-commerce and shopping apps trails behind at 35%.

Gaming app installs are dominated by hyper-casual games, which represent 27% of total installs.

Banking and crypto apps are also on the rise, with a 41% year-on-year increase in APAC. 

“In 2025, the mobile landscape will be defined by the extensive use of AI to create high-quality content, with AI-driven automation of production processes significantly enhancing consumer mobile applications through personalized user experiences,” Andrey Kazakov, CEO of Adjust, said.

“The trend of products built cross-platform will continue unabated, with mobile web playing a valuable role in growth strategies by enabling seamless transitions between mobile web and native apps,” Kazakov added.

“As mobile usage continues to thrive across APAC, fueled by the growing adoption of AI, it is crucial for marketers to harness this momentum by refining their campaign strategies and delivering personalized user experiences,” April Tayson, regional vice president for INSEAU at Adjust, commented.

“Our data highlights that markets such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Singapore, and India are spending significant time on different apps, offering businesses immense opportunities to drive growth and engagement in the years to come,” Tayson added.

Jakarta, Indonesia – Indonesia has requested that Alphabet’s Google and Apple remove the Chinese fast fashion e-commerce platform Temu from their app stores in the country to prevent it from being downloaded, a government minister announced on Friday via Reuters. 

The decision aims to protect local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from the influx of cheap products offered by PDD Holdings’ Temu, according to Communications Minister Budi Arie Setiadi, although there have been no recorded transactions by Indonesian users on the platform so far.

Temu’s rapid expansion has drawn attention in several countries due to its low-cost business model, which involves shipping products directly from factories in China to customers. Budi criticized this approach, calling it “unhealthy competition” because it significantly undercuts prices. 

“Our priority is not to safeguard e-commerce platforms, but to protect our small and medium businesses. We have millions to look after,” he stated.

The Indonesian government also intends to block any potential investment by Temu in local e-commerce, should such plans arise, Budi added, noting that no such proposals have been made yet. 

Additionally, the government is considering a similar request to block the Chinese shopping service Shein.

It should be noted that the Indonesian government has blocked Temu to protect SMEs, with another one update being Bukalapak denying reports of Temu acquiring them to boost the popular e-commerce app’s expansion in Indonesia.

Singapore – FairPrice Group (FPG) has teamed up with the Health Promotion Board (HPB) to introduce a new initiative that offers Singaporeans a more seamless way to earn rewards for making healthier purchases. 

As part of this collaboration, FPG has integrated its mobile app with HPB’s Healthy 365 app, enabling customers to automatically earn Healthpoints when purchasing healthier groceries and meals through the FPG app—eliminating the need to scan QR codes.

Through this partnership, customers who link their accounts and pay using the FPG app can accumulate HPB Healthpoints when purchasing Healthier Choice Symbol (HCS) groceries at FairPrice supermarkets and online, Unity pharmacies, as well as Healthier Dining Programme (HDP) endorsed food and beverages at Kopitiam food courts. These Healthpoints are earned in addition to the Linkpoints customers already collect for most purchases.

Customers can redeem these accumulated HPB Healthpoints for FairPrice, transport, or food vouchers. For instance, 750 Healthpoints can be exchanged for a $5 FairPrice voucher, enough to purchase a bottle of lower-sodium soy sauce and a loaf of wholemeal bread.

Vipul Chawla, group CEO of FairPrice Group, stated that HPB’s efforts to promote healthy living through the Healthy 365 app align with FPG’s broader commitment to making healthier choices more accessible and environmentally friendly for customers.

“Our hectic lifestyles coupled with responsibilities like work or school can make it easy for health and nutrition to become an afterthought. Initiatives like HPB’s Healthy 365 app remind us how important it is to take control of our health and wellness journeys, and as the nation’s largest retailer, we are energised to work with HPB to leverage our network of over 570 touch points across the island to help reward Singaporeans when they make healthier choices in their daily lives,” Chawla explained. 

This enhancement reflects FPG’s continued commitment to rewarding customers for making healthier food choices. It also marks the latest expansion of FPG’s omni-channel ecosystem, furthering its mission to enhance the app’s capabilities and deliver greater accessibility and convenience to users.

Singapore – FNP.sg, an online gifting platform, has announced the launch of its newly enhanced mobile app, designed to transform the gifting experience for users in Singapore. The updated app, currently available on both Google Play Store and Apple App Store, introduces a range of innovative features that make it easier, faster, and more rewarding to send gifts to loved ones.

One standout feature of the FNP.sg app is the ‘No Address Needed’ option. This convenient function allows users to send gifts simply by entering the recipient’s phone number. There’s no longer a need for users to know the recipient’s address – with just a phone number, FNP.sg will take care of the rest, ensuring surprise deliveries are smoother and more convenient than ever. 

Moreover, with a fresh new user-friendly interface, the FNP.sg app offers a seamless browsing and purchasing experience. The added integration with Apple Pay ensures a secure and swift checkout process, complementing the wide array of payment options currently available in the app.

Gifting can also be a rewarding experience with the Gold Membership Program. For a nominal subscription fee, Gold Members enjoy free standard shipping year-round. Members can also take advantage of first-time user discounts, such as S$20 off on a cart value of S$120 or more. Additionally, the membership rewards users with exclusive offers and discounts throughout the year.

Since its initial launch in 2023, the FNP.sg app has received widespread praise from users for its innovative approach to gifting in Singapore. Users also appreciate how FNP.sg is always updating its diverse range of products with new and creative gifting choices. The latest version of the app, launched on June 7, 2024, is now live and ready to elevate your gifting experience.

The FNP.sg app is officially up today, and users can visit the official website at www.fnp.sg for added details.

Singapore – SOOP, a new live-streaming platform, officially launched its global beta on June 5, 2024, for web and mobile app experiences.

Following the launch, the platform has quickly attracted streamers broadcasting a wide variety of content, ranging from popular esports and multiplayer titles and ‘Let’s Play’ single player gaming sessions, to virtual avatar and ‘IRL’ streamers.

With its launch, SOOP has developed strategic partnerships with game publishers, tournament organisers, and leading entertainment providers to host unique and exclusive content.

In terms of partnerships, SOOP has partnered with Riot Games to broadcast esports tournaments in games such as VALORANT and League of Legends, as well as partnerships with broadcasters or RTS and FGC tournaments in games like StarCraft and Tekken.

Beyond esports, users are provided with a world of sports and entertainment content to explore with access to broadcasts of Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) League and Union Mondiale de Billard (UMB) matches, while viewers seeking reality entertainment can enjoy live streams of sensations like K-pop contest, U2U: Up To You, hilarious physical challenges like Special Fox, and other original content series.

Furthermore, SOOP is currently running a three-month-long promotion that allows users to monetise their channels by streaming for just one hour until the end August 2024, lowering the barrier of entry for aspiring streamers, while encouraging exploration of the numerous content avenues that are available to users to kickstart their content creation journey.

The platform categorises streamers into three tiers namely ‘Rookie’, ‘Affiliate’ and ‘Partner’ with varying requirements and benefits. During the promotional period, users are eligible to become Affiliate streamers after achieving just one hour of cumulative streaming, enabling monetisation and access to the SOOP Revenue Program. This allows content creators of any size to seize the moment and start earning from live streaming on SOOP.

Users in the SOOP Revenue Program will initially benefit from two monetisation methods such as gems that users can give to streamers and subscriptions that grant users special access to a streamer’s exclusive features and content, providing an avenue to support their favourite streamers on an individual or recurring basis while enjoying personalised perks.

In addition to gems and subscriptions, advertising revenue share solutions are in development for future release to further grow streamers’ monetisation opportunities, alongside in-game drops and game account integration to enhance interactivity for viewers.

Singapore – Global hospitality and tap, order, pay technology firm, me&u, unveils an expansion to their hospitality ecosystem with ‘me&u engage’ – a tool set to transform venue marketing by providing deeper customer insights and unlocking new revenue streams.

Developed with global SaaS provider Eagle Eye, me&u engage is an omnichannel loyalty, promotions and subscription platform set to influence customer behaviour along the path to purchase, helping drive incremental spend from both new and existing customers.

With me&u engage, venues can streamline customer lifecycle management, with a unified view of the customer journey, impact on revenue and return on marketing investment. Engage is also now a  part of me&u’s new suite of Influence tools, which help venues connect with their customers across the customer lifecycle journey.

Using Engage, venues can now target customer groups on and off premise via the channel of their choice, whether that be social, eDM, SMS, poster or digital. The tool helps with the claim and redemption flow, with full attribution analysis to understand the path to purchase, channel performance, campaign impact and ensure continuous optimisation.

With me&u engage, venues can increase footfall and customer spend by engaging customers on and off premise with personalised deals, offers and loyalty promotions, engage customers with personalised campaigns at scale, provide channel performance, ROI and attribution insights, and increase marketing opt-ins and drive customer loyalty using data to incentivise customer segments.

Another notable feature via me&u engage is ‘Targeted Promotions’, enabling venues to efficiently manage large-scale promotions, like those aimed at encouraging an additional order or another visit. Soon to be introduced is Stamp Cards, a digital loyalty card to foster repeated visits and reward customer loyalty. More functionalities will be added as time progresses.

Katrina Barry, CEO of me&u, said, “Partnering with Eagle Eye has enabled us to deliver a market-leading product with the same fantastic software that underpins the loyalty programs of the world’s leading retailers, including Woolworths Group in Australia, and biggest hospitality operators in the UK, including Greene King, Mitchells & Butlers and Pret A Manger. Engage delivers clear benefits for both sides – the customer and the venue.”

“We’re excited to continue to grow and answer the demands of our partner venues to expand our suite of offerings at me&u, so we can achieve our mission of creating a better future for hospitality, both for business owners and venues, as well as customers alike,” she added. 

Meanwhile, Jonathan Reeve, VP APAC at Eagle Eye, commented, “We believe me&u engage will be a milestone in the evolution of customer engagement in the hospitality sector. We are excited about the practical impact this partnership will have, not only in benefiting partner venues but also in advancing the standards of customer engagement in the industry. Together with me&u, we are thrilled to be shaping the future of hospitality in such a dynamic manner.”

APAC – Consumers in six markets across three regions now spend more than five hours each day in apps for Q3 2023 with APAC leading the way, according to the report by mobile analytics provider data.ai.

Data from the report indicates that globally, Indonesia surpassed the five-hours-per-day threshold the most in Q3 2023 with more than 6 hours per day, followed by Thailand with 5.7 hours and India making top 5 with 5.2 hours.

Additionally, Singapore holds firm in the top 10 countries with a 10% growth in usage from Q2 2023 with 4.7 hours spent, adding to how daily time spent on mobile apps has climbed double-digit percentage points across several markets in APAC.

The report also focused on the emergence of Threads, which was launched by Meta at the start of Q3, which skyrocketed up the charts and reached 150 million downloads faster than any other app in history. For APAC, Singapore saw Threads as the top app in terms of downloads and download growth for the quarter, but it remains to be seen if it can sustain its position at the top in Q4 2023.

Furthermore, Threads was also regarded by the report as the number one breakout app in terms of downloads for Australia, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, and Thailand.

Lastly, in terms of consumer spend in APAC,  the top breakout apps by consumer spend growth vary in different markets, but the focus for Q3 2023 centres around social media apps such as TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram, accompanied by new trends such as AI photo editing apps and generative AI apps.

Singapore – SEEK, the parent company of Southeast Asian career platforms JobStreet and JobsDB, has launched an accessible, easy-to-use and free platform called JobStreet Express, which is now live in Singapore. 

With the launch of JobStreet Express, SEEK aims to help employers in Singapore fill the gap in semi-skilled workers, allowing many Singaporeans to obtain employment efficiently and safely. 

Notably, JobStreet Express was built to be mobile-first to cater to the majority of users in this segment who are regularly on the move. The platform also aims to close the application process in just a matter of hours or days, unlike traditional recruitment processes, which could take weeks or even months.

To fast track and simplify the hiring process, JobStreet Express will be making resumes optional on the platform before the end of the year. As long as talents provide the necessary information directly on their profiles, employers will no longer need to look at resumes for every role they post. This will allow talent to focus on applying for jobs rather than designing or updating their resumes. 

Over the next several months, JobStreet Express will be making enhancements, with some optional paid features to be made available in due course, catering to specific user needs. However, the platform’s basic functions, including the ability for any employer to post any semi-skilled role and the ability for easy application, will always remain free and accessible to everyone across Singapore.

SEEK has been developing JobStreet Express for over 18 months, readying for the Singapore market. The platform was first launched in Indonesia in October 2022 and is now present in four localities—Bali, Bandung, Surabaya and Yogyakarta, with more cities in the pipeline. With this in mind, SEEK plans to expand JobStreet Express across APAC in the near future.

Anshu Nahar, managing director for express & flex at SEEK, said, “The semi-skilled segment has traditionally been underserved. People in this segment often resort to unstructured and sometimes unsafe means to find jobs and talent. Both employers and talent feel that existing solutions just don’t work for them anymore.” 

“Through JobStreet Express, SEEK is committed to serving this segment with a dedicated platform, backed by millions of dollars of investment, our years of expertise, world-class technology and trusted brand,” he added.